Chronic Pain Reprograms Our Immune Systems & Our Brains

October 17, 2023

https://popularrationalism.substack.com/p/chronic-pain-reprograms-our-immune?

Chronic Pain Reprograms Our Immune Systems and Our Brains

A fascinating study from McGill University suggests that parallel changes methylation occur in both our brains and in our T-cells

James Lyons-Weiler

Oct. 13, 2023

A study from McGill University, titled “Chronic pain changes our immune systems,”, published in the journal Scientific Reports, reveals that chronic pain can alter the way genes function in the immune system. Specifically, the research found that chronic pain changes the DNA marking not only in the brain but also in T cells, which are a type of white blood cell essential for immunity.

The study used rat models and examined DNA from their brains and white blood cells. The researchers mapped DNA marking by a chemical called a methyl group, which is crucial for regulating gene function. This area of study falls under the growing field of epigenetics, which involves modifications that turn genes ‘on’ or ‘off,’ effectively reprogramming how they work.

The researchers were surprised by the extensive number of genes that were marked by chronic pain, ranging from hundreds to thousands. These findings could have implications for other systems in the body that are not normally associated with pain. The study suggests that understanding these epigenetic changes could open new avenues for diagnosing and treating chronic pain.  (See link for article)

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Important excerpt from the study:

This study supports the plausibility of DNA methylation involvement in chronic pain and demonstrates the potential feasibility of DNA methylation markers in T cells as noninvasive biomarkers of chronic pain susceptibility.

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Pain Management, research

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